Farewell, Young Shik. You were hilarious.

Friday concluded the end of the school year.

With that came the traditional end of semester buffet dinner for the entire staff and a special goodbye to those retiring and transferring to different schools.

There was only one person retiring, Young Shik, and some teachers I didn't know were transferring. Young Shik was the guest of honour. After teaching for 43 years he's earned it. At every social event he was always one of the last people to leave. Tonight was no different, in fact I think he went balls deep with everything. I didn't stay long enough to see.

The ceremony was much livelier then the past two retirement ceremonies. The principal and Young Shik were really close and the principle took a famous Korean song and plugged in Young Shik's name and, I assume, teaching related things. Everyone, including me got up and sang the song for him as he danced up at the front with the secretary who was laughing to the point her eyes were watering. He was quite the dancer too.

THEN, out of the blue, one of his old co-workers came into the banquet hall dressed in traditional Korean garb. My co-teacher explained that she is a professional woodwind instrumentalist and wanted to play a song for Young Shik. In the beginning I was about to ask if the instrument was broken but eventually it warmed up and produced a sound that was borderline tolerable. Still, it was a very authentic experience. Before we ate food we sand the song one more time and I almost sang the whole thing.

Food was eaten. 6 or 7 plates worth of food, not just deep-fried junk and soooo much salmon sashimi you wouldn't even believe me if I told you. It tasted just like smoked salmon. In the end of it all I felt full but secretly saved room from all the delicious Noraebang (direct translation: Singing Room) snacks.

Slowly the teachers began to file out as the water bottles emptied and the remaining teachers rallied up a convoy to travel to the Noraebang we always frequent after the lovely Marina Buffet.

At the Noraebang we sang, danced and drank. Young Shik stole the show: dancing around like a sexy wisp of smoke, he was much more fluid and limber than I've ever been.  Probably from all that hiking, Hula-hooping, and binge drinking. A new rule was added to the Noraebang Experience: every time you scored 100 on a song you had to put a 10,000 won bill on the TV screen. I never found out what it was for, but I'd assume to cover the cost of all the beer we ordered. Somehow I managed to join the 100 club, I wasn't really excited about that. Whatever, that's the only time I neede to pull out my wallet. I still had a great time.

I took a  taxi home with a teacher who lives close to me and me talked about her students and how I wanted to be a homeroom teacher like her eventually. She understood the gist of it and paid for the cab, so now I owe her a coffee.

It was a really nice time. It's sad to think it will potentially be my last time in the Marina Buffet with all those lovely people who I'll do my best to remember. I'm happy I've had these experiences, memories, drinking traditions to carry with me for the rest of my life.